The enemy attack came quickly and suddenly. After a fierce battle on the grassland, both sides retreated to their strongholds.
"General, we've investigated thoroughly. The enemy forces fighting us are only a small force. The Tartars have deployed approximately 50,000 elite troops and are currently attacking the Guan-Jin line," Deputy General Jin reported.
Jiang Jizu frowned.
In recent years, the Dayu Dynasty has never stopped building defenses to resist foreign invasions. They are currently at the southernmost end of the Guanjin Line, which was erected only three years ago.
The entire Guan-Jin line was garrisoned by 100,000 elite troops from the Dayu region, which could not be shaken by a mere 50,000 elite Tartar troops.
Coupled with ingenious defenses and troop deployments, this formed the most solid bulwark of the Dayu Dynasty.
Although a small number of cavalrymen still sneaked through small paths or mountain roads to kill, burn, and plunder small villages, as long as the main roads were blocked, the Tatar army could only watch helplessly from the outside.
This is also where the border defenses are located, to prevent large-scale troop migrations.
As long as the Tartar cavalry cannot invade the Central Plains, the entire Dayu Dynasty will remain peaceful, prosperous, and filled with joy and celebration.
"General, are we going to lead troops to aid Guan Jinxian?" Vice General Jin asked again.
In theory, no assistance was needed, but considering the suspicious circumstances, Jiang Jizu decided to go and take a look anyway.
He led 30,000 elite troops and, through the heavily guarded official road, arrived at the Guanjin Line city defenses.
As expected, the Tartars suffered defeats in their several attacks.
General Zhou, who was in charge of the Guanjin Line, came over to greet him with a smile. "What's the big deal that General Jiang has come in person? It's just 50,000 elite troops. They can't even break through the gates of the Guanjin Line."
Jiang Jizu remained silent, observing for half an hour until he confirmed that the Tartars were indeed wasting their time.
The doubts I had before were swirling in my mind more and more.
The two armies have been at war for so many years that they are quite familiar with each other.
The Dayu Dynasty failed to exterminate the Tatars because the Tatars were skilled horsemen, had no fixed abode, and could not be caught up with. They could only defend passively and could not take the initiative to attack.
The reason why the Tartars could not break through the defenses of the Dayu Dynasty was because the Dayu army had enough soldiers and was good at troop deployment and especially skilled at defensive line defense.
Simply put, the two armies usually consisted of the Tartars flying in front and the Dayu soldiers chasing behind.
They chased and chased, but couldn't catch up, so they returned home disappointed.
It is extremely rare for the Tartars to provoke such a situation, especially when a minority is challenging the majority.
“What could be so rare? The Khan of the Tartars, that one named Anda, is getting old, and his princes are also vying for the throne. Right now, it’s probably just some dim-witted little prince putting on an act to try and seize the throne.” General Zhou waved his hand. “Don’t worry, General. The defense of the Guanjin Line is the best in the northern frontier. With me here, we will be absolutely safe. General, you should hurry back to avoid being lured away from the mountain.”
There is a shortage of manpower in the border areas, and there are conscriptions and sacrifices every year.
Each defensive line is guarded by approximately 50,000 to 100,000 elite troops. For example, the Guanjin line has 100,000 troops, while Jiang Jizu's headquarters only has 70,000 troops.
He has now brought 30,000 troops, leaving only 40,000 elite soldiers in his old stronghold.
The strategy of luring the tiger away from the mountain is also a common tactic in military books. Jiang Jizu dared not delay and immediately summoned four deputy generals to lead troops back to defend the area, leaving only Deputy General Jin with the fourth squad to accompany him.
He was still worried about the unusual behavior of the Tartars along the Guan Jin Line.
"General, please rest assured." General Zhou patted his chest again. "I, Old Zhou, guarantee with my life that the Guan-Jin Railway is more sturdy than anyone can imagine. As long as someone is stationed there, let alone 50,000 Tartars, even 100,000 wouldn't be able to break through it..."
He had barely finished speaking when there was a loud crash and something fell down.
The expressions of both generals turned serious at the same time.
General Zhou's adjutant rushed over shouting, "Reporting, General, the defensive line has collapsed!"
Then another deputy general reported, "Report: The number of Tartars has surged, and another 40,000 are hiding under the bellies of horses."
The situation suddenly became serious.
One hundred thousand elite troops of the Dayu army faced ninety thousand elite Tartar troops.
General Zhou's face turned ashen, and after a long while he said, "Attack! Deploy all your troops and defend to the death. Even though we are outnumbered by ten thousand, we can definitely defeat the Tartars."
The group rushed over and saw their young generals leading their troops into battle, entangled with the shallow-eyed, deep-set alien race.
With their shields and armor, and their disciplined wielding of spears, the opposing force was evenly matched in strength, displaying both bravery and fearlessness in the face of death.
However, the Dayu Dynasty had 100,000 elite troops, plus 5,000 generals led by Vice General Jin, which was far more than the 90,000 elite troops of the Tartars.
Moreover, of those 90,000 elite troops, a full 40,000 were infantry.
A Tartar without iron cavalry is like a toothless tiger.
Although the defenses of the Guan Jin Line inexplicably collapsed, the outcome of the battle was still a foregone conclusion.
General Zhou breathed a sigh of relief, but before he could even smile, he saw the Tartars arrayed in an orderly fashion, as if they knew the weaknesses in their formation, and charged straight at him.
Wave after wave, and wave after wave.
One hundred thousand elite troops fell like weeds, never to rise again.
Although the Tartars were also losing men, their spirits remained high, and they kept shouting slogans, as if celebrating victory or clamoring for an attack.
General Zhou's face finally turned pale. He was one of General Fang's former subordinates. Guan Jinxian was inspired by General Fang's design, and the elite troops practiced the formations of the Fang family army.
This once made the Guan Jin Line the strongest team within a hundred miles.
His arrogance stemmed from his strength; he was not blindly conceited. He knew the power of the Fang family army's formation and the solidity of the Guan Jin line.
But he never imagined that General Fang's manuscript would be lost, or that a traitor would appear in the Dayu Dynasty.
The Tartars may not be able to practice the Fang family's battle formations, but they can find the weaknesses in the formations. They smashed through Guan Jinxian's defenses and cheered as they stormed into the city gates.
"Report, General, we've lost nearly ten thousand men. The Tartars are closing in, and the Guan-Jin line is about to collapse." The lieutenant staggered over. "General, let's go."
"Let's go, General!" a teenager shouted, turning back. The next instant, an arrow pierced his chest, and he collapsed limply.
General Zhou's eyes were filled with tears, a mixture of guilt, regret, anger, and resolve.
He drew his long sword from his waist, turned around and looked at Jiang Jizu, "General, you should leave quickly. I am the garrison general of the Guanjin Line. As long as the Guanjin Line exists, I exist; if the Guanjin Line perishes, I perish."
Without hesitation, he charged into the crowd, hacking and slashing.
Jiang Jizu was quick-witted and agile, but still couldn't stop it.
"General, I have already sent someone back to request reinforcements." Vice General Jin advised from the side, "You are a general, you cannot be harmed, you should go first."
“No.” Jiang Jizu shook his head. “Look at this battlefield. No matter what formation the army uses, the Tartars can break through it quickly. If we really leave, Old Zhou can only wait to die.”
"General, you mean..." Vice General Jin was speechless.
"Yes, that's right. The Fang family army's formation has been broken, and the Guan-Jin line that Old Fang personally planned has been broken. I don't know what the connection is, but I want the troops at headquarters to try out the Jiang family's formation." As soon as he finished speaking, he stood on the highest city wall and commanded with all his might, "Men, change formation! Retreat! Form a long line!"
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